Inspirational Sunday (1) - via QuiltConWest 2016

Welcome!  If you are new here, Inspirational Sundays is where I post pictures from whichever quilt show I have been to recently so that we can all see the quilty goodness and be inspired.  For the next few Sundays, I will be sharing some pictures from QuiltConWest.

This week, I chose to share some of my favorites in the Improvisation category.




The quilt above is called "Tranquility" by Kristin Shields of Bend, Oregon.   I like the central block with all the half square triangles, and I particularly enjoy the neutral tones with small pops of color.

It is machine pieced and machine quilted without a frame.

Next up is "One Earth" by Kathy York of Austin, Texas.



I am drawn to circular and spiral shapes, so this one caught my eye right away.  I like the improve curves creating the center circle, but I also really like the "stems" all around the circle.

It is machine pieced and machine appliqued (fusible applique), and also machine quilted without a frame.





The quilt above is called "Lunar Orbit" by Victoria Mansfield of Alexandra Hills, Queensland, Australia.  It is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted without a frame.

As I said, I am drawn to circular shapes.  What I thought was interesting about this one is that it looked like she improv pieced all the blue fabrics together, then cut out the circular shapes and appliqued them together and onto the background.  I also like how the outer edges of the circles are much darker in value which really makes the transitions between shapes stand out and gives you the feeling that they are three dimensional instead of flat.

I also found it interesting to read in her description that she quilted the background first, added the bigger circle with an extra layer of batting, quilted that, then added the smaller circle with another extra layer of batting, and finished the quilting.  So the small circle has 5 layers of batting under it, while the white background only has 2.  This was to help the circles appear more 3D, but I just find putting the quilt together backwards fascinating.  I have considered doing some of my landscape type quilts like this, but haven't tried it.

Next up is "Night Flight no. 1" by Heidi Parkes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.




It was machine pieced and hand quilted.  It depicts how the earth looks at night from flight above.  Heidi won 2nd place in the Improvisation category.

Tidbit: 1st prize in this category went to "The One for Eric" by Chawne Kimber of Easton, Pennsylvania.  I already shared a pic of it on Wednesday, HERE.

Finally, there is "Kill it with Fire" by Libs Elliott of Los Angeles, CA.  This quilt was quilted by Rachael Dorr.  It is machine pieced and quilted on a frame.





Honestly, this is not one of my favorite quilts.  I guess it was created in tandem with a quilt by Luke Haynes who started with the same fabric.  I completely missed his quilt if it was at the show.

While I find some of the fabrics, jarring, I do like sections of this quilt very much.  The section near the center with all the solids, I find the combination of lines there appealing.  And the quilting, I really enjoyed looking at the quilting.  Here is a close up of some of it.




I think it is really cool how the feathers in the red section carry through the yellow polka dots in the blue section.  The quilt was filled with fun little surprises like that.

Tidbit: this quilt was for sale for $8000.  It had not sold when I walked by it on Saturday.


I must admit that I have had a rocky relationship with improv piecing, myself.  I used the technique whenever I made a Tinker Tote and have made a few improv log cabin blocks that went well.  However, when I took Sherri Lynn Wood's improv curve class at last year's QuiltCon.  It did NOT go well.  I don't think it was just the "curve" part either!

Have you tried improvisational piecing?  Did you just jump right in and try it out, or did you get direction from a particular book or class?  I would love to hear more about your experience with improvisational piecing.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Something nice, just for the sake of something nice - a finish Friday

It's Friday!  and I have a finish to share!

This quilt may look familiar.  I made a similar one a couple of years ago for my cousin's first baby.  Somehow my math was off when I made the HST's for the design. I think I forgot that you get TWO HST's from every pair of squares, because I had nearly double what I needed.  I had put the extras away for a rainy day.

While it hasn't been raining, I figured it was about time to pull those extras out and put them to good use.  One of the ladies that runs the front office where my kids take gymnastics is about to have a baby.  I chipped in for the group gift weeks ago, but she and her husband (who also works in the office) are always so nice to my girls and I.  I wanted to do something more, so I made this quilt.

Some of my quilty friends think it is funny that I would give something like this to someone I know so little.  I think it is nice to do something nice, just for the sake of doing something nice.  I hope she likes it, but I am keeping my expectations low (she is a muggle, after all).  Ironically, I have had better luck giving my quilts to complete strangers than my own family.  My mom (Hi Mom!) is the exception.  She always loves what I send her, and that's why she will get more quilts in the future too.

Do you give away any of your quilts to people you barely know?


Thanks for reading today,


Jen




Linking up with:

  

**This post may contain affiliate links.  If you purchase something after clicking on one of my links, I may be compensated.

Scuttlebutt and QuiltConWest

Today, I thought I would share a few thoughts about my latest QuiltCon experience.

First, all did not go as planned.  With QuiltConWest being held practically in my backyard, I thought I would be there all four days even though I was only taking a class on Saturday.  Cue a kid home all week with the flu and another who broke her wrist, I was just lucky that I made it to my class!  It also meant that I had a very limited time to enjoy the show, but here is what I have to say about it.

In general, it was awesome!

There is a special atmosphere at QuiltCon that I have not experienced at other quilt shows.  It is hard to describe, but it feels "inclusive".  Whether you are there to take a class or just stroll around the show, the people around you are happy that you are there.  It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or expert, a traditional quilter or artist; you are there to share the experience and there is a welcoming vibe.  I am a bit introverted, but I had no trouble striking up conversations with the people sitting next to me in class, the lady who checked my badge to let me into the show, even the girl who walked near me on my way back to the parking garage.  Friendliness and commonality abound.

Now that doesn't mean that QuiltCon was without controversy.  I heard plenty of scuttlebutt about the Best in Show quilt (You can view it HERE), and several of the quilts with political messages.  With regard to the Best in Show quilt, it is an example of several of the design elements that the Modern Guild appreciates, like improvisational piecing, minimal design, negative space, asymmetry, and texture.  While I thought there were other quilts that were more eye catching, "My Brother's Jeans" does exemplify the modern quilting design aesthetic.

As for the quilts with the political messages, I have mixed feelings.  While it is comforting to know that these quilts have a place that they can be shown and accepted, I worry that 1) the artists' work is actually getting less credit because it might be viewed that their "quilt just got in because of the political message" instead of being appreciated for its design and workmanship, and 2) it makes me question where the modern guild will draw the line on future politically motivated designs.  We all know that there are multiple sides to every opinion: how will the guild decide who's opinion should be showcased.

"The One for Eric" by Chawne Kimber of Easton, Pennsylvania.  This quilt won 1st place in the Improvisation category.

What am I talking about??  Several of the quilt designs were about gun violence and some had strong anti-racial messaging; well, not just anti-racial, but also a bit of police brutality undertones.  I would hope anti-racism is a message we can all agree on and get behind.  BUT let's choose another political debate: abortion.  What if.....a quilt is designed well, with all the typical "modern" aesthetics and superior workmanship, but has a strong pro-choice or pro-life message. Clearly, there will be plenty of people who are on the other side of this debate that would be offended.  But where will the guild draw the line if the quilts are otherwise "show worthy"?

Just something to think about.  I have been thinking about it quite a bit, and that should be the goal of art, right?

There was additional whispering about the winner of the Best Machine Quilting Framed category.  I am not sure if it is really scuttlebutt, instead more of an open question.  The quilt was pieced by the entrant, Molli Sparkles, and quilted by Jane Davidson of Want it, Need it, Quilt!  Now Molli Sparkles got the prize, but it was for the quilting.....so who should be getting the award??  I hope Molli shares.  It seems fair in this case.  What do you think?

What else stands out about my experience at QuiltCon?  As I have said in the past about QuiltCon, I like leaving the show feeling motivated and inspired to start working on new quilts right away.  In the big picture of quilting, I am a novice.  Sometimes when I go to the more traditional shows and look at the winning quilts, I leave feeling inferior.  I know my skills are not good enough to be judged in, let alone win, at a big traditional show.  And that is OK!  I am happy where I am, making the quilts I make.  When I leave a show like QuiltCon though, I've seen a lot of quilts that have Something in them that I CAN do.  Whether it be a particular block that I have made, or a walking foot quilting design that I can do.  I leave the show thinking that I could make something similar.  And that makes me feel good.

Yeah, yeah, Jen, but can you show us some more pictures??

If you are on social media, especially Instagram, you have probably seen lots of pictures of some of the more popular winners quilts.  (Everyone likes a winner.)  However, I noticed several quilts being shared more than others, and I thought I would share some of the quilts that I thought were especially cool, and haven't seen in my feed.  I'll also do a few Inspirational Sunday posts broken down by category so we can have some good discussions.  Here we go....

I think this quilt, called "Cut & Keep" by Gina Pina of Austin, Texas, is freaking brilliant!  Yet, I didn't hear anyone calling it that.



Talk about innovative!  To get that look, she put darker fabric "words" beneath the pieced top and quilted all the layers together.  Who would have thought of doing that??  I just think it is brilliant.  As you can see, she received 3rd place in the Applique category.

And, if you are wondering (because I was interested in knowing), this quilt was for sale for $333, and it sold.  It seemed to me that $350 and under was the magic pricing for the quilts that sold at QuiltCon.  I will try to share some of the pricing of other quilts as I go along.

My friend, Heidi, from Buttons and Butterflies, pointed this quilt out to me.  It is called "The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts" by Cassandra Beaver of Urbana, Ohio.



Not only do I love the perfect circle she created, but I really love how she used colored thread to extend the design into the negative space.  Here is a close up.




Isn't that just neat?

And finally for today, "Riverfire" by the Brisbane Modern Quilt Guild.




This was part of the charity quilt exhibit and most of it is improvisational piecing (I say "most" because some of the cityscape blocks look extremely similar).




Just look at the fireworks sections!



I love how the quilting mimics real fireworks.  So cool!


That's it for today.  I  hope you will come back on Sunday to see more of the show.


As always, thanks for reading!


Jen

Name that block - Building Blocks Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!



I don't even know where to start on the block above.  I've been working on making 12 of them all week, and my brain is a little fried.

I am hosting a "Quilt as Desired" challenge for my guild, so I created the block above with some negative space and a couple border-type areas so participants can show off their quilting skills.  I choose solids so that their thread choices might make even more of an impact.

That is a tiny 3 inch Le Moyne Star that I paper pieced to make sure I got it right.  I strip pieced those navy sashings, and then stopped.  I felt it was missing something and asked the social network if I should add the red border.  The "yes's" won out, and I do like the balance the red border provides.  I just wish it hadn't made the block so big!  Making 12 of these, I really went through a lot of fabric to make these blocks and back them for the challenge.

What should I name this block?

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!

Thanks for reading,

Jen

An InLinkz Link-up

Wee Wander Spanish Tiles - a Finish Friday

A finish!

I really shouldn't be so excited about this one considering how long it has been coming.  I mean I finished the top at least a year ago.  It and its aqua twin, sat waiting for me to quilt it until I got fed up waiting for time and gave it to one of the longarmers in the guild to quilt for me.  It was money well spent as it only took her a couple of days to do both of them.

I finished up the binding on the aqua one just in time for Christmas (quite literally Christmas Day), but the pink one still needed the binding.  Cue a full DVR and a day waiting for some deliveries, and it has finally been finished.

I intended to give the pink one to Olivia, who LOVES pink!  But, she saw that I had unicorn fabric in my stash, and some mermaids and asked for expects a quilt made with those fabrics too.  Cheeky of her!

For the back, I just took all my leftover scraps of the line and kind of threw them together log cabin style.

The pattern is "Spanish Tiles" by Heather Peterson of Anka's Treasures.  It is in her book, Living Large 2, which focuses on patterns for large-scale prints.  I love the idea of this book, and the designs are really brilliant, using sashing in ways I hadn't thought of.  BUT, I must admit I wish a little more attention was given to the math for the size options.  I made the twin size and had to do some of the border math myself and had quite a bit of waste (which I used on the back, so it wasn't really wasted).

Here is the aqua one too!



I just love the colors.  So does Tookie!




Thanks for reading today,


Jen




Linking up with:

  

**This post may contain affiliate links.  If you purchase something after clicking on one of my links, I may be compensated.

Broken Herringbone Blocks - Building Blocks Tuesday

The last few days have been crazy busy, but I made a few blocks on Sunday in between activities.



These are Broken Herringbone blocks for Shelly in the We Bee Canadian bee.  No, I am not Canadian.  I am only an honorary Canadian since my We Bee With It group couldn't get enough members for this 6 month period.  These ladies are very nice to allow me to join them, and there are some familiar names in the group, so I am sure it will be great.



The Broken Herringbone blocks are a little intense, but not difficult.  I must admit that I did not see where the block was headed until nearly the last step.  But, I do like how they turned out.

You can find the tutorial HERE at Play Crafts, or by clicking any of the links for Broken Herringbone above.




What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!

Thanks for reading,

Jen

An InLinkz Link-up

Gretchen's Alpine block - Building Blocks Tuesday

Just when I didn't think I had any blocks to share for today, I remembered this little beauty that I made for Gretchen a couple of weeks ago before I really set in on the Technicolor Galaxy.

I really liked the colors that Gretchen chose; that grey is Kona Charcoal and it is really lovely!  She also wanted teal and a white with black in the centers.  The blocks she gathered are stunning.  I can't wait to see how she puts them all together.

This is the Alpine Block and was one of the many Bee Hive blocks from last year.  You can find the tutorials HERE on Blossom Heart Quilts.  Alyce is currently doing a Modern HST sampler QAL, which looks like fun.  And she is only 2 blocks in, so there is plenty of time to catch up if you want to join in.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!

Thanks for reading,

Jen

An InLinkz Link-up

Another Les Amis baby quilt - Design Wall Monday

Last week, I mentioned that Cath over at Bits N' Bobs hosts a linky about what is on your design wall.  Well, I figured I better link up!

Of course, to do that, I needed a design wall.  So I got out a bit of batting and hung it on the wall.  It's not glamorous, but it works!  So what is on my design wall?

I making another Les Amis baby quilt.  I need to get a baby quilt done very quickly and I had a bunch of HST's left over from the last Les Amis quilt I made for my cousin.  I figured with the work half done, I shouldn't fight it.  I only had to make 6 more HST's to finish this layout.

I'm hoping to sew the rows together later this week.  My real dilemma is whether I should load it on the longarm that was delivered late last week.  I've been practicing, but I still don't have the complete hang of it yet.  However, I recognize that my free motion skills on the domestic exponentially improved when I stopped fearing quilting on real quilts.  Practicing on scraps can only get you so far, at some point you have to bite the bullet and "Just do it!" (as Kate was saying on her blog recently).  So do I just do it?  I think the answer might be "Yes!".

Thanks for reading today,

Jen


Linking up with:

Time to check in - Day 30 of the 100 day challenge!

Welcome to first check in for the 100 Day Challenge!  So how are you doing with those goals?

I was amazed by the range of goals that you posted 30 days ago!  Here are a few to share:

Carole at CaroleLyleShaw.com wants to finish writing a BOOK!!!  Here I thought I was adventurous trying to finish one quilt from start to finish.  Please go cheer on Carole, and help her choose a title.

Judy at Knotty Needle was working on the Bonnie Hunter mystery and wanted to finish some fabulous purple socks.  I think Judy will be reporting on the later, right Judy?  Pop on over to Judy's blog and tell her "good job"!

Marci at Marci Girl Designs was hoping to quilt a gorgeous quilt and blog more frequently.  Please go tell Marci that we want to hear from her!

Lyndsey at Sew Many Yarns wanted to blog more and finish up a truly magnificent cross stitch project.  I know she has been slowly stitching the later.  Visit her to give her a virtual high five!

Cath at Bits 'n Bobs wanted to blog more and finish up a baby quilt.  I know she has been stitching up a storm on another project and a bit distracted by fires, a wedding and baby cows!  I thought my kids were distracting!  Go give her a cheer for keeping on track, and check out her linky about what is on your design wall.

Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stitches had some lovely embroidery projects to work on and a quilt to finish up.  Jump on over there to learn more about her strategy to find more time to meet these goals.

Celine at Esprit Patch needs a cheer!  She wanted to catch up on bee blocks, but that is hard when you are in a bunch of bees!  Go give her a pat on the back for working toward her goals!

Leanne at Daisy and Jack had some fun and gorgeous projects she is working on.  I'm seeing a lot of blocks getting done, but I'm wondering where Minnie and Mickey are??  Go give Leanne some love.

Kate at Smiles From Kate has started a blog as one of her goals!  Go check it out!  I loved reading how she got started with quilting.

Katie at Karma Willow Designs has been working through a few injuries, but is still making progress on her goals.  Go tell her how awesome she is!

Janine at Rainbow Hare Quilts has so many colorful projects to choose from, but she wanted to finish up a Dresden, crochet a blanket, and make an art quilt.  Go find out which of these she has been working on!

We also want to give cheers for Diane, Lisa, Anne, Brita, Gi, Jamie, Kelly, and Sarah!  I hope you will update us to your progress in the comments!



So how am I doing on my 3 goals?

1) Finish Lazy Bums blocks - 15 in total -- I'm DONE!!!  Once I got those Geese in the Forest blocks going, there was no stopping me.



2) Blog - get back to blogging twice a week - I think I missed one week, but I am doing better!

3) Finish (including starting) Technicolor Galaxy - I've started!  Block one is almost complete.  I may need to put the 2nd part aside for a week as I finish up 2 other projects that have jumped ahead on the priority list, but then I will get straight back to it.




Just stumbled upon the 100 Day Challenge today?  You can still join in, but it will only be the 70 day challenge for you!  To recap the requirements, check out the Kick Off post HERE.


30 Day Check in Link up:  you can link up a blog post, Flickr picture, even Instagram photos (Sarah!).  I'll keep the linky open for a week so you can show off your progress and visit each other for a show of group support.

An InLinkz Link-up

Don't forget, you may also just leave your progress in a comment on this post.




Thanks for reading,

Jen

Lights and Darks - Building Blocks Tuesday

Here are the last two Lazy Bum Flying Geese blocks for Gi.



She wanted light colored stars with dark backgrounds.



Sometimes I have trouble performing such instructions.  I get a little too caught up in the value of the fabrics.  For example, I don't think the yellow above is very light.  It is actually a very medium valued yellow.  I have very few truly "light" colored fabrics, a handful of pale pinks and a couple of lavenders; but very few light blues, greens, etc.  I need to get better about the way I shop for stash builders.

I tend to look at my stash and think "what color am I particularly low on".  For example at the moment, I have limited yellows, oranges and browns.  Luckily, these aren't colors I use often, but there have been a few times when bee mates have asked for things and I don't have them.  Perhaps I should start reminding myself that I need more lights and darks in general too.

Anyhow, I hope that these contrasting stars are enough light and dark for Gi.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!

Thanks for reading,

Jen

An InLinkz Link-up